Silent Words
by NiamhakaLadyHex
Summary: [AU] What will the wizarding world do when they find out their savior is deaf?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Why would I be writing fanfiction unless I am a fan?

A/N: This is my first attempt at fanfiction, so I hope that you like it. This fic was inspired by Lina Inverse the Dramata's 'Hear with my eyes and Speak with my Hands' If you haven't read it, go check it out! Special thanks to my beta Akinoshima because without her, this story would have never happened. Please tell me what you think!

**Silent Words**

**Chapter 1**

**By NiamhakaLadyHex**

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Severus Snape was not known for his patience, especially when anything Potter was involved. He would rather be anywhere else but here walking down the street in this pitiful muggle neighborhood. But the Headmaster had somehow stuck him with retrieving Potter. It wasn't his fault the brat had not even bothered to reply to his Hogwarts letter. Why it was unimaginable that Dumbledore Headmaster of Hogwarts could do a simple thing as retrieving his Golden Boy from his muggle relatives, no that would be far too easy!

So here he was walking down Privet Drive in the early morning to retrieve Potter. Snape shivered at the thought of the boy, he was probably so spoiled that his head wouldn't fit out of the door! He hoped that he could get this over as soon as possible so he could have the least amount of contact with the brat.

By this point he had reached number Four. He took a minute to look around where the savior of the wizarding world had grown up. It didn't look like anything special to him, it screamed of muggles and it was by far way too clean. It made him sick just looking at it. He quickly walked up to the door, he had spent enough time looking around, but before he could knock the door was opened. For a moment Snape thought he must have gone to the wrong house because standing in front of him was a woman whose face resembled that of a horse. She looked unlike any of the Potters.

She took one look at him and shrieked, "Whatever you're selling, we don't want it!"

She moved to shut the door in his face but he moved much quicker than her.

Already growing tired of looking at her he asked venomously, "Does Harry Potter live here?"

She quickly replied, "No Harry Potter lives here, I've never heard of him!"

Unfortunately for Petunia, Severus Snape was very apt in telling when someone was lying to him; he had to be to survive as a spy for as long as he had.

"I think you know exactly who I am talking about, now let me in before I am forced to do something _unpleasant_."

"Your one of _them_ aren't you," she yelled in a horribly high pitched voice after finally noticing the robes he was wearing, "Get out before I call Vernon! Wait till he hears that one of _you_ was here at our doorstep."

Snape had enough of talking with this screwed woman, he pushed past her giving her his trademark sneer that would have a first year run in fright and entered the house. Petunia quickly cowed away to the kitchen after that and Snape was left by himself to find Potter. He decided to check the upstairs bedrooms first.

As he walked up the stairs he noticed many pictures of an obscenely fat boy. He knew it could not be Potter because the hair was the wrong color; no son of James Potter would have anything other than that horrible mop of black hair. He hoped that Potter wasn't this fat, it was disgusting. It did cross his mind why there were no pictures of the brat on the wall but he figured that Potter would want a whole wall to himself.

He finally made it to the first bedroom and he opened the door. The only word that came to his mind as he looked at the room was revolting. The room was strewn with broken toys, clothes, and left over bits of food. Then he spotted the obese fat boy in the bed. So this must be Potter's cousin. He quickly left that room.

The next room had to bethe Aunt and Uncle's bedroom. It had a huge bed and some other furniture that was obviously there to impress the onlooker. Snape was not impressed. Then the last door caught his eye. It was covered in what looked like muggle locks. Why would Potter's family lock him inside of his room? It couldn't be for his protection, could it?

He muttered Alohomora and the door opened with a squeak.

Potter's room was far different from the others. The only furnishings were a small brass bed with a mattress that looked like it came from a camping bed, a ridiculous excuse for a dresser, and a small desk that had that appeared like it had nearly collapsed from being sat on. Other than that they room was completely bare.

Potter was sitting at the desk reading a book from what Snape could tell. His clothing hung off his small frame, almost like the clothes were not meant for him. In fact, the looked like something is abnormally large cousin could fit into. The boy was turned away from him so Snape cleared his throat to get his attention.

Potter didn't even move a muscle. Snape didn't waste all of this time and effort to come and fetch Potter to be completely ignored.

Now clearly beginning to get angry he snapped out, "Potter!"

The boy still didn't even twitch.

Out of frustration he finally walked over to the desk and turned Potter around to face him. The reaction he got was far from what he expected. The boy jumped as if he had been struck by a hot poker and then he slowly brought his head up to look at the Potion Master.

Snape was still angry that the boy had not spoken a word to him. "Boy, don't you know it's polite to answer when someone is talking to you! Are you deaf?"

Harry calmly looked the professor in the eye and then with his hands he signed, _"Yes, I am."

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Ok, that's the first chapter; please tell me what you think! Reviews are very appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Not mine.

A/N: I just wanted to give a big thank you to all my lovely reviewers, I didn't not expect that many. You guys have convinced me to post this chapter earlier than I planned, so I hope you like it! Just to clear something up, this story is not a sequel to "Hear with my eyes and speak with my hands". Although it might have some certain similarities to Lina's fic it is not a spin off of hers. Ok, enough of my rambling.

"_Harry signing"_

'_Harry writing'_

**Silent Words**

**Chapter 2**

**By NiamhakaLadyHex

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Snape was speechless. The savior of the wizarding world was deaf? It was incomprehensible. He had to take a moment for the realization to sink in.

One would not expect the feared Potion's master to have any knowledge of muggles, especially anything ridiculous as sign language. Oh yes, he knew what sign language was. During the rein of the Dark Lord, a muggle family that was captured on a raid had a child that was deaf. The little girl could not understand why her parents were no longer moving; she kept on signing long after they were dead.

When he was reporting back to Dumbledore what had happened during the raid, the Headmaster had explained to him what sign language was. He did not understand how to read sign so he had no clue what Potter just said. He just stood there for a moment not sure of how to respond.

But then something occurred to him. "How can you understand what I am saying?"

Potter scrambled for something on his desk. It was a pad of paper with a pen attached to it. From the looks of it the notepad had been used frequently. The boy started to write something on the paper.

Snape bent over Potter's shoulder so he could see what he wrote.

'_I can read lips.'_

"Why don't you speak?"

Potter wrote again on the notepad.

'_I never learned how.'_

Snape puzzled over that for a moment. He knew this problem was way out of his abilities.

He said, "Come on Potter, get your stuff. We are going to Hogwarts."

Potter looked confused for a moment and then he wrote, _'Is that where I got that funny letter from? That place is real?'_

Snape shot him a glance. "Of course it is. Surely your Aunt and Uncle told you about it?"

The boy took a minute to write his response but when he was done Snape read what he wrote.

'_I have never heard of Hogwarts before I got that letter. I thought it was a practical joke. Is there really such a thing a magic?'_

Snape gave him a withering look and said, "You mean to tell me that you did not know that magic existed before? You, Harry, are a wizard and you will attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry when school begins in two days. I am the Potion Master of Hogwarts. Now enough dawdling, pack up your stuff and let's get out of this pathetic excuse of a house."

Harry took a moment to gather his belonging and then he looked up at Snape.

Surprised at how quick that was Snape said, "Is that all you're taking Potter?"

He had always pictured Potter being lavished with gifts from his relatives. But with the amount of stuff the boy was carrying in his arms, it painted a very different picture.

Harry nodded his head since he couldn't write because his hands were full. The Dursleys had never allowed him to keep any personal belongings. He hid what he treasured most under a lose floorboard under his bed. Other than a few books, his precious notepad and pen, and Dudley's handed down clothes (if you could call them clothes) was all that he owned.

Harry was wondering how they were going to get there when Snape started to walk out of his room. He thought Snape said something as he was leaving, but his back was turned so Harry had no clue what he had said. Harry quickly followed him out of his room and down the stairs. It was so frustrating when people forgot that he couldn't understand them if he couldn't see their face.

The reached the first floor and Snape turned around to face him and said, "Do you want to say goodbye to your relatives?"

Harry had several emotions go through his eyes but they were gone before Snape tell what the boy was thinking. Harry shook his head and then proceeded quickly out the front door. Snape was momentary stunned. He thought the boy would at least want to say goodbye to his Aunt and Uncle.

When he had arrived at Potter's house he was perfectly prepared for the boy to be just like his father and then he could hate him for it, but now he did not know what to think. The boy was entirely different than he thought he would be. It was not just because he was deaf, although that in itself was quite a shock. The life he had pictured Potter living was obviously far from the truth. Now he was greatly confused on how he should feel towards Potter. After a few moments he followed the boy outside to the front lawn.

He took out his wand and aimed a shrinking spell at the boy's meager belongings.

"There Potter, put your stuff in your pocket. It will be easier for me to apparate us without you carrying stuff in your arms. Apparating is a method that wizards use for transportation from one place to another. We will not be able to apparate directly to Hogwarts grounds because the wards on the castle make that impossible. This will feel slightly uncomfortable, especially since this will be your first time."

Harry was having trouble understanding what the professor was saying. It was extremely hard for him to lip-read words that he didn't know. Usually he had to write something down before he could comprehend it. Having never encountered these words dealing with magic, how was he going to understand this new world? He could feel a headache coming on…

He was brought out of his musings by the professor touching his arm. He wanted to jerk his arm out of his grasp, but the professor's grip was too strong. Harry had never liked when people touched him, it usually never resulted in anything pleasant. Suddenly he felt his body being wrenched away.

Seconds later they were standing outside the gates of Hogwarts. Well, one of them was standing. Harry had fallen down as soon as they arrived. He was very dizzy and disorientated for a few minutes. Snape gave him a cold look and then he reluctantly helped him onto his feet.

As they were walking to Hogwarts, Harry was thinking. How was he going to survive in this world? He had always been an outcast because he was deaf. When someone found out about it, they would always treat him different. Sometimes they would step back like he had a contagious disease that they could contract by being in his vicinity or they would stare at him, pitying him for being different. Just because he could not hear, it did not make him any less of a person.

But sadly most people can't see past his disability. Other children didn't want to take the chance or time to get to know him; he was the freak, the boy who no one wanted to befriend. It just took to much effort to communicate with a deaf child. He was always a target for bullies because he was different from the other children; they were always relentless in their taunting.

Growing up deaf was difficult. The Dursleys didn't even realize he could not hear until he was five years old. They unwillingly took him to the doctors and then he was diagnosed. Things did not improve much from there. He was the only deaf child at his school and frankly the school couldn't not afford spending money on the special education he would need. The Dursleys were no help either, why would they want to spend money on _him_?

When he was walking home one day from school and he met his neighbor, Ms. Savario. She was an elderly lady that had an addiction to cigarettes that unfortunately gave her throat cancer. She had to undergo surgery that left her without a voice. When she realized Harry was deaf, she made it her mission to teach him sign language. She was his first friend, his mentor.

Before he learned sign, his life was Hell. His relatives were always yelling at him, punishing him for not understanding. Sign language was a blessing from God. He owed everything to Ms. Savario, without her he would have never learned how to communicate. She was always very patient with him and never got angry or upset when he had trouble learning something. He had to work twice as hard as other kids to understand how to read and write. English was foreign language to him. How do you read a language that you can't speak?

Luckily for him Ms. Savario was a wonderful teacher that always encouraged him, even when he no longer believed in himself. She had desperately wanted to get him into speech therapy so he could lean how to speak since she could not teach him herself. The Durselys would not stand for any of that nonsense. He was enough of a freak to them already. The sound of his abnormal voice would only add to it. They preferred his silence.

She taught him what she could and he became a fairly good lip-reader. It was an art that could take a life time to master but he caught onto it out of necessity. The only person who could communicate with him in sign was Ms. Savario, and she rarely left the house.

Sadly Ms. Savario passed away last year. Her cancer had come back and she didn't live long. He had cried for days after he found out. She was like the mother he never had and her death was devastating to him. Even now her death still weighed heavily on his mind. Without her he had no one and frankly that thought scared him the most.

Abruptly Snape stopped walking beside him startling Harry out of his thoughts. They had finally reached Hogwarts. Harry looked on the most magnificent site that he had ever seen. The castle was glimmering in the midday sun, calling to him like a beacon. It whispered of new beginnings and adventures waiting to happen. Maybe this new world wouldn't be so bad after all.

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Ok I hope this clears up any questions from the last chapter. The next chapter probably won't be up until this weekend because this week I'm taking my finals. 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: If I were J. K. Rowling I would buy myself an island and I would be living there instead of attending college!

"_Signing"_

'_Harry writing on his notepad'_

**Silent Words**

**Chapter 3**

**By NiamhakaLadyHex**

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Harry didn't get much time to appreciate the view of the castle before Snape started heading through the front doors of Hogwarts. As they walked through the castle, Harry was taken in by all of the fantastical things inside. There were even paintings on the walls that moved!

Before he realized it, they had arrived at a hideous looking gargoyle. The Professor glared at it for a moment and then almost reluctantly he said, "Gummy bears."

Much to Harry's surprise, the gargoyle then sprang to life, jumping out of the way to reveal a hidden staircase.

Snape began climbing the stairs to Dumbledore's office with Harry following close behind him. When they reached the door, he raised he hand to knock but before he could Dumbledore opened the door. This seemed to be happening a lot to him lately.

Dumbledore caught sight of Harry and his eyes began twinkling madly. Snape wanted to hex the infuriating old man. Maybe it would be able to cease that damnable twinkling.

"Ah, Severus you're back so soon. And I see that you have brought young Mr. Potter with you. Come in, both of you. I hope that everything went well." Dumbledore quickly ushered them into his office.

Snape gave him a look that could have melted glass. "There's only one slight problem."

Dumbledore was unfazed by the glare that Snape was sending his way. "What's that dear boy?"

"Potter's deaf and apparently he never learned how to speak. But he can read lips."

The change in Dumbledore's demeanor could almost be comical if the situation were not so serious. His face turned very grave and the color drained from it. His eyes lost their twinkle. He turned to Harry who still was standing near the door.

To Snapes astonishment the Headmaster began signing to Potter. Dumbledore also spoke out loud when he was signing.

"Harry, would you be more comfortable sitting down in a chair?"

Harry blinked a stared at the Headmaster for a few minutes. He remained standing and then he hurriedly replied, _"You know sign language?"_

"Ah, yes I do. I always found it fascinating that you could be able to communicate just with your hands. I was very intrigued by it so I learned the language. But Harry I need to ask you, how long have you been deaf?"

"_I have been deaf for as long as I can remember, although I think it was caused by the car accident that killed my parents."_

Dumbledore was momentarily stunned. "I am sorry to be the one to tell you Harry, but your parents didn't die in a car accident. Many years ago there was a dark wizard by the name of Voldemort. He believed muggles, or non magical people, and anyone who was not of pure wizarding blood to be beneath him. He had quite a following and they set to further their ideals by trying to eradicate muggles and anyone not up to their standards. I fought against them with the assistance of many other people, including your parents."

He looked away for a moment as if he was remembering a distant memory.

"Your parents were crucial in our fight against Lord Voldemort. This is why he went after them. He killed both your mother and your father, but when he tried to kill you something happened. The curse that he sent towards you was meant to kill you but instead of killing you it rebound and struck him. You are the only known person to ever survive the killing curse. That is how you received that particular scar on your forehead."

Harry stared at the Headmaster for a moment. _"You mean to tell me that my parents were killed off by some wacko and I am somehow responsible for defeating him? You actually expect me to believe this? All of my life my Aunt and Uncle have told me how worthless my parents were for going and getting themselves killed and forcing me unto them. Why should I believe you?" _

"I am sorry Harry. When I placed you in the care of your Aunt and Uncle I thought they would care for you as one of their own. I did not expect them to lie to you."

"_You placed me with them? Why did you get to decide where I should live? You are of no relation to me, how did you get to make such a decision?" _

"Harry, you do not understand. Before the fall of Voldemort, chaos and mayhem reigned. He had many powerful followers that would have tried to harm you if they could. I did what I must to secure your safety. Staying with your Aunt provided the best protection for you."

At this point Harry began signing rapidly with almost furious gestures. _"For my Protection? How could you possibly think that sending me to people who hated my parents with such a passion was a good idea? When they saw me lying there, they considered tossing me out on the streets rather than be forced to live with me! Did you think that their hate would be dissolved by seeing their nephew at their doorstop? Lying was the least of what they did to me. They never treated me as their child; I was only a freak to them, an unwanted burden. Why would they care about me? Do you know what it's like growing up deaf, professor? Before I learned sign language I had no way to communicate or understand the world around me. I grew up beaten, abused, and degraded. My relatives never tried to help me; in fact if it weren't for my neighbor, Ms. Salvario, I would have never learned sign language or any communication. So please tell me how they ever protected me."_

He finished, looking Dumbledore in the eyes. He never liked talking about his home life, but this time it was warranted. This man had decided to place him with the Dursleys but had never once visited him. If he placed him there for his safety, wouldn't he want to check on him to make sure he was ok? He had no idea what kind of life he had sentenced him to. Harry's usually controlled temper was flaring to life. Normally he was always very good in guarding his emotions. Living with the Dursleys, he had to be.

Harry glanced at Snape who had remained quiet throughout their entire conversation. Harry could not tell what he was thinking; his face was a mask of indifference. He then turned his back to the Headmaster, deciding that he had enough of this conversation.

Dumbledore signed in defeat. He had hoped Harry would understand why he had to do what he did. He had no choice; the boy had to be sent to his relatives. There was no other way. It was a shame that they treated him badly but there was nothing that he could do about it.

"Severus, could you please take Mr. Potter to the infirmary? Maybe Poppy has something that could help him."

Snape moved towards Potter and taped him on the shoulder. He seemed the flinch away from the touch, as if reliving a distant memory. He slowly turned around. Snape made sure Potter could see his face clearly before he started speaking.

"Potter, I am going to escort you to the hospital wing where a nurse is going to see if she can do anything to help your hearing." The only sign he got from Potter that he had understood him was a slight nod of the head.

Once they had reached the hospital wing, Poppy did a full diagnostic check-up on Harry after being told of the situation.

After she was done she looked at Harry sadly and said, "I am sorry but there is nothing that I can do to fix your hearing. The damage is far too old for me to repair successfully. It also seems to have a direct correlation with the scar that you bear. I'm afraid that when the killing curse was cast on you before it was rebounded onto You-Know-Who it did significant damage to your ears, enough to cause permanent hearing loss. Although you are completely deaf, you do have the full capacity to be able to speak."

The news did not affect Harry as much as one would think. He had lived being deaf all of his life and it was all that he knew. It did not really bother him that she couldn't help. However, he was happy to learn that he could be able to speak one day.

Snape had un-shrunk his notepad for him, and he quickly wrote a reply to Madam Pomfrey thanking her for her help. Snape told him that they should be heading to the Great Hall to have dinner. Harry quickly followed after him before he was left alone in the hospital wing.

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At the same time that Snape was taking Harry to the infirmary, Dumbledore had called an emergency meeting of all Hogwarts professors. It took a while to get everyone settled but once things began to quiet down Dumbledore started the meeting.

"I'm sure your all wondering why I have called a meeting on such short notice. But I assure you this meeting does not forgo the annual staff meeting for tomorrow."

Collective groans were heard across the room. It was no secret among the teachers that the annual staff meeting was about as interesting as a flobberworm.

"But anyways that is not what I called you here to discuss. Earlier today I sent Severus to retrieve Mr. Potter from his relatives in light that we had not received a reply from him about his Hogwarts letter. Normally this is not standard procedure for dealing with this type of thing, but we all know that Mr. Potter is a special case. Mr. Potter was picked up without any problems, but I was unaware of a certain aspect of him. You see, Mr. Potter is completely deaf."

Startled exclamations and yells went through the room. Others just sat there completely stunned by the information.

Professor McGonagall was the first to speak. "Albus, how can this be possible?"

"I'm afraid I'm not entirely positive how it happened. I do however think that is somehow connected to what occurred on the night that James and Lily died. There is also some more bad news. Harry has never learned how to speak and he can only communicate through sign language. But he is very proficient in reading lips so you don't have to worry about if he can understand you."

More silence followed after this announcement.

Professor Flitwick hesitantly spoke what was going through all of the minds of the teachers, "How can he cast spells if he can not speak?"

"I have already been thinking about that problem Filius. It is one that it not going to be easily overcome. There is no magical means that we could use to restore Harry's hearing. But Harry received his letter, so I am sure that he is supposed to be here. I only wanted to forewarn you of this problem and to please treat him as you would any other student. Try and speak clearly and make sure he can see your face. Also if you have any ideas of what we could do to help or assist Harry in any way please come see me. Now I believe that both Harry and Severus are waiting for us in the Great Hall."

Everyone slowly walked out to the Great Hall to join Harry and Severus for dinner but what weighed heavily on all of the professor's minds was how they were supposed to teach a student who used a language they didn't even know?


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

A/N: PLEASE NOTE that whenever Dumbledore is talking to Harry he is going to be signing and speaking at the same time. This chapter is now betaed! Yay!

"_Harry signing"_

'_Harry writing'_

**Silent Words**

**Chapter 4**

**By NiamhakaLadyHex

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**

Dinner was an interesting affair. Dumbledore introduced Harry to everyone, acting as a translator between Harry and the professors. Although Harry was still angry with the Headmaster, he appreciated that he could sign instead of having to write everything down. The professors were still trying to get used to the idea that Harry was deaf, so the conversation was very awkward. They didn't know how to act or what they should say to Harry. Most of the professors had never even been in the same room with a deaf person and now they were expected to teach a deaf , mute child. In the wizarding world being deaf was unheard of because healers could always cure or repair what the cause of the problem was. Unfortunately for Harry there was no help for him.

Many of the teachers were beginning to doubt if coming to Hogwarts was in the best interest of Harry. If he couldn't speak there would be no way that he could perform even the simplest of spells. How was he going to be able to participate in Transfiguration or Charms? At the most all he could do would be to study the theory behind the spells and practice the wand movements. He might have better luck with Potions and Herbology, but that remained to be seen.

After dessert was served Dumbledore caught Severus's attention and slightly moved his head towards the door.

"Excuse me for a moment everyone, I must talk with Severus about some potions." They both quickly exited from the Great Hall, leaving the professors and Harry in an uncomfortable silence.

Harry was never much of a conversationalist and he hated sitting here with all the teachers looking at him like he was an exhibit in the zoo. He managed to catch Professor McGonagall's attention and used his notepad to ask her if she could explain the history of the school. She was more than happy to tell him all about it.

Meanwhile out in the hallway, Dumbledore was having a trying conversation with Snape.

"Severus there is no other option. He needs to be around people, not secluded away by himself. He has had enough of that already. It would only be for today and tomorrow, and I think he has already gotten attached to you. Believe me, this is for the best."

Snape gave him a look that clearly said that he thought otherwise. "You know that I am a very private person Headmaster. I do not take kindly to having my personal space violated. Why can't he stay with one of the other professors? I am not suited for looking after an abused handicapped child!"

"You might not be the most qualified but you're the best person we have at the moment. Harry has obviously not had the best childhood. If you try to put your differences aside, I think that you might find that you have more in common with Mr. Potter than you know. He needs someone to talk to and I believe that you could be that person. Just give him a chance that's all I'm asking for."

Snape reluctantly admitted defeat; the Headmaster would find some way to make him agree even if he said no. As he turned to go back in the hall Dumbledore said, "Oh and don't forget, Harry still needs to go to Diagon Ally to pick up his supplies." Snape cursed his luck for being stuck with Potter.

When they walked back into the hall Professor McGonagall was telling Harry about how she became addicted to catnip in her animagus form. As enlightening as that conversation was, Harry was getting ready to leave. He had never had good social skills and being the center of everyone's attention was wearing on his nerves. The professor with the purple turban, he thought that his name began with a Q, kept on glancing at him when he thought he wasn't looking. It was freaking him out. Not to mention that for some reason his scar was hurting and that added to the cramping in his hand, he was ready to call it a day.

Then, he noticed that Snape and Dumbledore had come back into the room. The headmaster then motioned for Harry to follow him. He signed goodbye to the professors and left the Great Hall trailing after Snape. They quietly made their way through the castle, although Harry had no clue as to where they were going. Dumbledore apparently forgot to mention that. Wherever they were heading the air was starting to feel heavier and cooler, as if they were heading underground. Harry thought it could be entirely possible that they were heading underground; they were in a castle after all. His suspicions were proved correct when Dumbledore stopped and decided to inform him of their location.

"Welcome to the Hogwarts Dungeons, Harry. As the term has not started yet, you can't stay in the student dorms so Severus has kindly agreed to let you stay in his quarters until school starts. Also tomorrow you will be going to Diagon Ally to get your school supplies for the year. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to come and talk with me. Now I will leave you two gentlemen alone, goodnight."

Snape did not reply but instead he glared at the Headmasters retreating back. He had no clue how he was going to survive tonight and tomorrow with Potter. Although he no longer felt a blind hatred towards the boy, it still didn't mean that he had to like him. They were standing in front of the portrait that opened to his chambers. The exact location of his quarters had always remained quite secretive, but it was always open to a Slytherin in need. As the Head of Slytherin he was rather protective of his students in his house.

It was also very appropriate that his portrait was of Salazar Slytherin. He was shown on a regal looking throne with his ever present companion, his snake Clavis, twisted upon the chair. Severus often conversed with Salazar about experimental potions techniques and everything in between. He was probably the only person was Severus could have a decent conversation with. But tonight he was on Potter duty so he quickly said the password, knowing it wouldn't matter if Potter understood it or not since it was in Japanese and they stepped inside.

His rooms were his sanctuary, the place where he could get away from everything. They weren't fancy or anything out of the ordinary but they were his nevertheless. He had lived in them for so long that he couldn't imagine calling anything else home.

He did not have a lot of useless trinkets cluttering up his rooms; he liked to keep it at the bare essentials. The Portrait opened to his living room. The stone was bare and worn with age the only thing decorating the walls were the two enormous bookshelves on either side of a magnificent fireplace crammed with as many books as they could hold.

In front of the fireplace sat a black leather couch with twin wing-backed matching leather chairs to each side with a low lying black coffee table in between the two chairs. There was a black and silver oriental rung beneath the table, the only thing that he ever kept from his family. He hardly ever used the furniture because he never had company; unless you counted Dumbledore coming down to pester him. Severus Snape was not a friendly person and he never pretended to be. He had lived so long by himself that it was almost frightening to have someone else there.

His bedroom and the kitchen were on the right side of the living room. To the back of the room was a door that led to his potions lab where he usually did all of his personal or dangerous brewing. Conveniently, the potions lab had a door that connected to his office by the potions classroom. How that was possible, he had no clue. Hogwarts had many mysteries.

He glanced at Potter who was looking at everything in awe. Of course the boy would find _his_ chambers interesting.

He made sure he had Potters attention before he started to speak. "Now you will be sleeping out here on the couch. I hope that is suitable to you and if it isn't, deal with it. You are not to touch anything, and if you do I will know. Don't go into any other rooms except this one. The bathroom is adjacent to kitchen. Now I am going to sleep and I expect you to leave me in peace." He then went into his bedrooms and left Potter to his own musings.

Only when he saw Snape close his door did Harry remember that Snape did not un-shrink his things. Oh well, he had lived with less before. He went over to the couch and sat down. It was much more comfortable than it looked. Soon he was overcome with his thoughts.

In his wildest dreams, he would have never believed at the beginning of the day that he would be free of the Dursleys. He never had to go back there again! That alone was enough to bring a smile to his face.

He also was wondering about the other students. What would they be like? How would they react when they learned of his disabilities? He hoped that maybe this time someone would be able to accept him for who he was. He desperately craved for friendship having never experienced it before; Dudley had always made sure of that.

He also hoped that he wouldn't be singled out because he couldn't hear. Harry had never dealt well with any sort of attention; the only kind he had ever received was negative.

The professors seemed nice although he could tell they felt apprehensive around him; most people were. From what Professor McGonagall had told him about the school he learned that there were four houses; Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Slytherin, and Gryffindor. He had no clue which one he was going to be sorted into. He supposed he would find out after tomorrow when school started. By this point he felt his eyes closing of their own accord and he figured that he should try and get some sleep. He would be having a busy day tomorrow.

* * *

Sorry this chapter is shorter than usual but I promised the next chapter will be longer. Next chapter will be Harry's trip to Diagon ally. I am now out of school for winter break, so hopefully I can get a lot of writing done. I'm not making any promises with updates though but it should not be more than two weeks at the longest. I have received so much positive feedback, it really helps. Thanks again to all of my wonderful reviewers, please continue to review! 

**Texasjeanette**: Thanks so much for your wonderful review. About your idea of Harry confronting the Headmaster, it might happen but it all depends what direction the story is going. It might not happen right away, maybe later on.

**ShadowedHand**: The sorting is coming up the chapter after the next. It should be chapter 6. The professors will have some difficulty teaching Harry, as explained in this chapter being deaf in the wizarding world is very rare and almost unheard of.

**Midnightfirestar: **After the original idea of this story popped into my head after reading Lina's fic. I did about 2 weeks of research before I even wrote anything. I have learned a lot about the Deaf and Heard of Hearing by writing this story and I hope other people can learn more by reading it. The rest is just my overactive imagination. I probably will take you up on that offer, the more advice I have the better. Harry will have a way to cast spells, but I'm not saying how. However I do think it is a very original idea and I hope that everyone will like it. But that won't be until a few chapters. As said in this chapter, Snape doesn't really hate Harry anymore but he doesn't like him either. He knows he's not the spoiled child he expected but other than that he really doesn't know anything else. However, he will get to know Harry better.

**MissWings27**: As I mentioned in the review above, Harry will have a way to cast spells but you won't find out how until a few chapters. Yeah, a magical cure would be too easy, I can't have that:o)

**Opal**: I don't know if I'm going to hire an interpreter but I have an idea in my head instead, you'll see at the sorting. Yeah, the professors can't do that; imagine having Snape stare at you for the whole lesson! But yet again, he sorta already does that with Harry in canon, lol!

**Pris**: Fear not, I have no plan of not finishing this story.

**Blessing of Earendil**: I'm so happy that you love this story so much, I hope it continues to live up to your expectations! I did finish this chapter on my drive down but I also thought of many fun ideas for upcoming chapters!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Please don't sue; I'm not J. K. Rowling.

A/N: Thanks to everyone's reviews, they really inspire me to write. Also this chapter is dedicated to Blessing of Earendil and her lovely whip! Thanks also go out to my wonderful beta!

"_Harry signing"_

'_Harry writing' _

**Silent Words**

**Chapter 5**

**By NiamhakaLadyHex**

**

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**

Harry slowly woke up from his dreamless sleep. At first he was a bit disorientated, he still thought that he was in his room at the Dursleys. Suddenly he remembered the events from yesterday. It almost seemed like a dream but when he looked at his unfamiliar surroundings, he knew it had to be true.

At that moment Snape strode out of his bedroom. He took one look at Harry and then he headed straight for the kitchen. Harry quickly went after him.

Luckily he still had his notepad in his pocket.

'_Would you like me to make breakfast?'_

Contrary to popular belief, Snape was not a morning person. He had to have at least two cups of coffee before he was able to think coherently. He was downing his first cup when he saw what Harry wrote.

"Why would I want you to make breakfast?"

Harry took a minute to reply. _'The Dursleys always had me make breakfast; I expected you would want the same.'_

Snape gave him a look that could have melted glass. "If I wanted you to make breakfast, I would have told you to. Here at Hogwarts we have house elves that do all of our household chores, cleaning, and cooking. All you have to do is tell me what you would like and I will order it through the floo."

Harry had trouble understanding the last part of what Snape said.

'_Excuse me, do you mind writing that last part down? I couldn't quite make it out.'_

Snape grudgingly took the notepad and wrote what he had said.

After Harry had read what he wrote, he couldn't believe his eyes. He didn't have to make breakfast? He got to sit there doing nothing? Afraid to tempt fate, he asked Snape for the first thing that entered his mind.

'_Could I have some toast with jelly?' _

Snape walked over to the fireplace and threw in some floo powder to order toast from the kitchens. Not a minute later there was a plate with toast piled as high as Harry's eyebrows with every kind of jelly imaginable.

Harry was stunned for a moment but then he began to eat. Snape, after finishing with his coffee, got his first good look at the boy. Only then did he realize that Potter was wearing the same clothes as yesterday.

"Why are you wearing the same clothes?"

'_Um, sorry to bother you sir, but you forgot to un-shrink my belongings.'_

"Well hand them over then, I don't have all day!"

Harry took his shrunken items out of his pocket and handed them over to Snape. With a wave of his wand and a muttered incantation, everything was restored to its normal size.

Snape was holding one of Harry's t-shirts in his hand, looking at it pensively.

"Are these your best clothes?"

'_Yes, they're hand-me-downs from Dudley. They are all that I have.'_

Snape looked disgusted for a moment. Then he said, "Well, we will have to remedy that, won't we?"

Harry looked at him with amazement. He had never been shopping before.

"Come on Potter, its best that we get going before Diagon Ally gets crowed. Now we are going to be flooing over there. Now seeing how you can't speak, hold onto me and I'll transport both of us. Don't let go of me, do you understand?"

Harry nodded although he was more afraid of getting close to Snape than he was about flooing. But reluctantly he went over to the fireplace and let Snape grab him around the shoulders. Then Snape took a handful of floo powder and called out, "The Leaky Cauldron."

Then Harry was immersed in a sea of fire, but it wasn't burning him. He was bumped and jostled endlessly until he fell out of the fireplace with Snape trying to pick him up. Fortunately since they had arrived so early, hardly any people were in the Leaky Cauldron.

Tom the bartender soon noticed them and came over to greet them. "Welcome to the Leaky Cauldron. Would you care for a…Oh my word! Is that-?"

Severus interrupted him saying in his most menacing voice, "Be quiet you imbecile! If you say another word, I will be forced to hurt you." Tom quickly left them alone.

He motioned for Harry to follow him out the back. They were standing in a small walled in courtyard that held nothing except a few grungy trashcans. Snape promptly went up to the wall by the trash cans and began tapping on the bricks with his wand. Harry was wondering if he had lost his marbles when suddenly the bricks started moving to form an archway.

Snape sneered distastefully at the whole thing and hurriedly pulled him inside. Harry was too busy to care though; he was overwhelmed with the sight of Diagon Ally. Never in his life could he have imagined anything like this. He was entranced. Snape soon brought him out if it though. He said abruptly, "Come on, we need to go to Gringotts."

Upon Harry's confused look he said, "It's a bank, now hurry up."

He quickly led Harry to a huge white building that looked like it was trying to defy the laws of gravity. Harry thought that magic had to be holding it up somehow. He had to hurry to keep pace with Snapes long strides. They entered the building through a magnificent pair of silver doors with an inscription warning about the folly of trying to steal from the bank. They entered into a magnificent marble hall.

Snape then walked up to the counter as there was no line to wait in. Harry finally got a look at who ran the bank. He visibly jumped before he was able to regain his wits. What were those creatures? He decided not to bother Snape about it, he was looking mad enough already. He would ask someone about it later.

"Mr. Potter would like to make a withdrawal from his safe."

When say Snape said this, he quickly got out his notepad and hurriedly wrote, _'What? Do you mean I have money? How is that possible? My Aunt and Uncle would never give me anything!'_

When Snape read what he had written he said, "Well you don't think that the infamous _James_ _Potter_ would leave his only son with nothing did you?"

Harry wisely refrained from commenting.

Snape handed over the key to Harry's vault. Then they followed Griphook, who was another one of those creatures, down the hall into a door that led to a narrow stone passageway that had some sort of railroad tracks lined down the middle. Griphook whistled and what looked like a mining cart came hurling towards them. They climbed in and the cart set at an alarming speed through a maze of twists and turns. Snape was unfazed by the speed of the cart or the direction of where they were heading.

They were heading underground, as Harry could see a huge lake with enormous stalactites and stalagmites protruding from the ceiling and the floor of the cave.

Soon enough, the ride was over and they stopped in front of a small door in the passage wall. Griphook got out of the cart and unlocked the door of the vault. Inside of it were heaps of gold, silver, and bronze coins.

Harry just sat there dumbfounded for a moment. All of this was his? He had never even seen this much money before in his life!

'_Professor Snape, how much money do I need to take?'_

Harry tapped him and the shoulder to get his attention. After reading it Snape said, "I'm only going to say this once so you better remember it. The gold coins are Galleons, the silver coins are Sickles and the bronze coins are Kuts. There at 17 Sickles to a Galleon and 29 Knuts to a Sickle."

Snape was growing impatient of waiting for Harry so he swiftly got of the cart and put a good amount in a bag. Then he swiftly handed it over to Harry. "That should last you for the school year."

Harry was still too shocked to say anything. They quickly rode the cart back to the main hall of the bank.

As they were getting out of the cart they saw a huge man that looked like he could be some sort of giant. When he saw professor Snape he said, "Hello there Professor Snape didn't expect to see you 'ere."

Snape glared at him. "Professor Dumbledore has graciously appointed me errand boy for Mr. Potter."

Hagrid looked surprised and then yelled, "Harry I didn't see yeh there!"

Harry hated that when people would shout at him as if raising their voice would help him to 'hear'. In fact it didn't help at all, it only made lip-reading a lot harder.

Harry smiled and nodded quickly before Hagrid tried to talk to him again. Snape quickly said their goodbyes and they were once again out in Diagon Ally.

"Now we are going to stop at Madam Malkin's Robes for all Occasions, where we can get you a proper wardrobe."

They entered the store and were met with an exuberant witch dressed in mauve robes.

"Can I help you?"

Snape said, "This boy needs robes for Hogwarts and we would also like a custom made muggle wardrobe."

She looked surprised for a moment. "Oh my, I haven't had a request for that in some time. Well, we better get started. Come this way and I'll get you fitted."

She led him to a private fitting room while Snape waited at the front. She took his measurements and then began sorting through different materials. After many failed attempts and endless fittings, Harry ended up with 8 pairs of trousers in black and grey, a load of t-shirts both short and long sleeved in assorted colors, some formal shirts, and to his horror a plethora of boxers in may different shades and patterns. He also received several of the standard Hogwarts uniforms including a pointed hat and winter cloak.

Although Harry was uncomfortable with the whole ordeal, he had to admit that these clothes suited him a lot better. He hated Dudley's hand-me-downs and he was ecstatic to be rid of them. He decided to wear one of his new outfits for the rest of the day.

He soon met back with Snape. Harry paid for his clothes and Madam Malkin cast a shrinking charm on them so Harry wouldn't have to carry them around all day.

Then they were headed to the bookstore, Flourish and Blotts. While Snape busied himself with the latest edition of _Most Potent Potions_, Harry was left free to wander the store. He easily found all of the books required for his classes and then he set off to peruse the rest of the selections.

While he was walking around the store he came upon some dictating quills. He bought several of these; they would be of great use to him. It was always extremely difficult to try to read the teacher's lips while taking notes at the same time. These quills could take the notes for him while he paid attention to the teacher and hopefully they would catch anything he missed.

Having no knowledge of the wizarding world or magic, Harry ended up buying several books not in the Hogwarts curriculum. He wanted to know as much as possible about everything so he bought several books on wizard history, defense, and surprisingly potions. For some reason he felt drawn to the art of potions making, it fascinated him. Snape had finished looking over his book so he dragged Harry to the counter to pay for his purchases before he could pick out anything else. If he was surprised by Harry's selections, he did not show it.

The next stop was the Apothecary. On the way there they made some small detours and Harry bought a caldron, some glass phials, brass scales for measuring potions ingredients, a telescope, and a trunk for all of his belongings.

When they entered the store Snape began inspecting all sorts of ingredients, he was clearly in his element. Harry purchased a supply of basic potions ingredients and then waited for Snape.

Twenty minutes later Snape came up to the counter, his arms burdened with as many potions ingredients as he could hold. He paid for them and soon they were off to the final stop of the day, to get Harry's wand.

The store was old and shabby looking, and the words on the door read, Ollivanders: Makers if fine wands since 382 B.C. It looked like it hadn't been repaired since it had been opened.

They walked inside. The small dusty store was filled with thousands of narrow boxes lining the walls.

"Good afternoon," said a quiet voice. An ancient looking man had appeared from the back of the store. Snape showed no sign of being started and since Harry was still looking at all of the boxes lining the walls, he didn't know the old man was there. Snape kindly tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention. Although he did not particularly care for the boy, he did want to stand there forever with Ollivander trying to get the boys attention.

"Harry Potter. I thought I would be seeing you soon. I remember every wand that I've ever made, even your parents. Sadly I also made the wand that gave you that scar." As he said this, he was staring at Harry's forehead.

Feeling uneasy, Harry didn't know what to say in response so he just stood there.

"Which is your wand arm?"

Harry looked at Snape for an answer.

"Which one do you use to write with Mr. Potter?"

Harry held out his right arm. After being measured by a strange measuring tape, Ollivander began bringing wands for Harry to try.

"Ah, here give this one a wave. Beech wood and dragon heartstring, nine inches, nice and flexible."

Harry waved the wand like instructed but nothing happened.

A headache and several wands later, he waved yet another wand. Nothing happened, just like all the ones he had tried before.

Harry was beginning to feel like he was never going to find a wand. Maybe this was a sign that he didn't belong in this world.

As if Ollivander could hear his thoughts he said, "Don't worry my boy, some people are harder to find wands than others. The wand chooses the wizard Mr. Potter. Hummm…. I wonder, try this one. Holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple."

As he took the wand in his hand he could feel a sudden warmth spread throughout his hand. It felt indescribable, like he had finally found something that he had been missing his entire life.

He gave the wand a wave and a burst of white sparks shot out of the end illuminating the dark store.

"Good, very good! You see we found the perfect match after all! But it is curious, very curious."

Harry gave him a look that clearly showed he wanted to know what was curious.

"It so happens that the phoenix that gave the feather for your wand also gave one other. It unfortunately resides in the wand that gave you that scar. I think that we can expect great things from you Mr. Potter…After all. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things, terrible but great."

Harry just stood there; he was too shocked to respond. His wand had a core from the same phoenix as Voldemort's wand? Voldemort had taken everything away from him, he didn't like having anything in common with that monster but it seemed that fate had a sense of humor when he was involved.

He quickly paid for his wand and they went to the Leaky Cauldron to floo back to Hogwarts.

Harry once again stumbled out of the floo but was able to land on his feet. Snape stepped out of the floo flawlessly. One day Harry would have to ask him how he did it.

Snape looked at Harry and said, "Dinner is at seven. Since I spent the day carting you around Diagon Ally, I have to make up the time I lost for brewing potions. I'm assuming that you can keep yourself entertained until then. Do not disturb me, I will come and get you before we go to dinner. Do not wander around and do not touch any of my possessions."

With that, he walked off to his potions laboratory leaving Harry alone in the living room. Harry kept busy by putting all of his purchases in his new trunk. He also started reading several of his books. He was still engrossed in his potions book he didn't notice when Snape came to get him.

Snape got Harry's attention and said, "It's time for dinner."

As they were walking to the Great Hall they passed Hagrid. He stopped and talked to them for a moment. He looked like he was trying to hide something behind his back but the look on his face gave it away. He finally gave in and took the object out. To Harry's surprise he was holding a snowy white owl in a cage before him.

Hagrid looked at Harry and said, "I found her when I was walkin' around the edge o' the forest. Her wing was a bit damaged so I took her in an' healed her up. I thought that yeh might like an owl. She's very smart an' tame."

He handed the owl over to Harry. Harry was standing there in disbelief. Hagrid just gave him an owl? He had never had a pet before, well unless you count some of the spiders in his cupboard.

Snape was standing there with a blank look on his face. Yet again, the Potter brat was being worshiped by his mindless followers. They had to walk all the way back to his quarters to drop off the owl.

When they finally walked into the Great Hall all of the other professors were already present. Harry sat down between Professor McGonagall and the Headmaster.

Dumbledore asked, "Did you have a nice time at Diagon Ally Harry?"

Harry responded with a yes. They continued to chat about meaningless things; well Dumbledore was the one doing all the talking. The rest of the teachers were still wary about talking to Harry, they still felt extremely uncomfortable around him. Dinner couldn't be over soon enough for Harry, a person could only endure listening to the Headmasters endless rambling for a certain amount of time.

Snape led Harry back to his rooms and then he was left to his own musings. Harry spent some time reading until he was finally overcome with sleep. His last thoughts were wondering about how the next day would turn out.

* * *

The end of another chapter. Also just a reminder, remember that Dumbledore is also signing when he talks. I hope you guys liked it; it's the longest one yet! I promise the sorting will be the next chapter. I don't know when the next chapter will be out but I'm gunning for the end of the week, but don't count on it. Please leave me a review to let me know how I'm doing and many thanks once again to all of you who reviewed! I would like to wish you all a happy holidays and New Years! breaks out the champagne and caviar and passes to it around

**Jazzylady**: Thanks for your review and yes Harry will eventually learn how to speak but it will be a long and slow process. He has lived his whole life without speaking so he isn't just going to be able to have long conversations right away. He might never feel comfortable speaking, after all BSL is his first language. He will be a Parseltounge. I'm so glad you are enjoying this fic and I hope you continue to read!

**Opal**: Your idea is wonderful and as you can see in this chapter I did something like it. It would be a lot faster for Harry to read lips then reading writing. But by having Dictating Quills he can use them in class however he probably won't be relying on them outside of class.

**Blessing of Earendil**: Ah, my faithful reviewer. Your reviews never fail to bring a smile to my face and I'm so lucky to have a reviewer like you! That's why this chapter is in your honor. I hope you have a wonderful holiday!

**lmill123**: Thanks for your review. Although what the Dursleys did was wrong and unforgivable, this fic is more going to be center on how Harry is cooping with being deaf and how he is going to fit into a world where being deaf is extremely rare. He might confront Dumbledore on his actions again later, but it all depends on where this fic is going. I hope that you will continue to read my story.

**JettaSnape**: The other professors will eventually learn BSL. It's just like if a member of your family has a disability; the rest of the family evolves to help that person. Since Harry's primary language is BSL, some knowledge of BSL will have to be learned by the other professors. Harry will learn how to speak but as I have said, it will be a slow and long process. Since this is my first attempt at fanfiction, I'm extremely uncomfortable with writing any pairings. If there is any romance, it probably won't be slash because it's just the direction that this story is going. Draco will play a part in this story and he's going to be a mean git, so there's no chance of slash there. Thanks for your review and I don't mind answering questions!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own any of it. I only stake claim to Adrea because her name took me so long to think of.

A/N: I'm so sorry this took me so long but I had a major case of writers block. Thank you all for your wonderful support, I never imagined this many people actually reading my story. I hope you enjoy the latest chapter! Once again, major thanks to my beta who has had to suffer through reading my grammar and spelling mistakes! Special thanks to Felinity, who also had to suffer the stupidity of Draco 'I don't have any balls' Duster.

"_Harry signing"_

'_Harry writing'_

**Silent Words**

**Chapter 6**

**By NiamhakaLadyHex**

**

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**

Harry was woken up by someone franticly shaking his shoulder. He looked up sleepily at Snape, and he was barely able to make out what he was saying.

"Come on Mr. Potter, it's time for you get to up. We wouldn't want you to be late for the train, would we?"

Harry clumsily reached for his notepad.

'_What time is it?'_

"It's eight o'clock. The Hogwarts Express does not leave until eleven. I'm a busy man, so I don't have all day to look after you. Do you have everything in your trunk?"

Harry nodded.

"Good. Go to the bathroom, change, and then we can be off."

Harry hurriedly grabbed a pair of clothes to change into and he dashed off to the bathroom. He soon came out refreshed in a new set of clothes. He was already starting to feel nervous about the day's upcoming events.

During his conversation with the Headmaster, he did learn a little bit about the Hogwarts Express and some general information about the wizarding world. Although he was still feeling very awkward and out of place, he was beginning to get a better understanding of this new world.

After walking to the gates of Hogwarts, Snape Apparated them to an abandoned alley outside of King's Cross Station.

They got a cart for Harry's trunk while Snape quickly ushered him into the station.

Snape stopped between platforms nine and ten. He was wondering what Snape was doing when he answered his unspoken question.

"The entrance to the platform for the Hogwarts Express is in between platforms nine and ten. If you walked straight into the barrier it will bring you to the platform. I'm sure even you can manage it."

He took Harry by the elbow and strode through the barrier.

Harry stood there and beheld the magnificent site of the Hogwarts Express. His relatives had never taken him far from Privet drive, and in these past days he had seen wonders that surpassed his wildest imagination.

Since they had arrived so early, there were very few people already there. Harry was very glad because he was never comfortable in crowds of any sort.

It was extremely difficult for him to be around a lot of people at once. He had to pay close attention to lip-read and that was near impossible if more people were involved. It was overwhelming. He was also left out of the conversations. It was just too hard to try and keep up with what everyone was saying.

Snape quickly said goodbye and left Harry to deal with everything by himself.

Harry climbed into the scarlet train and found a compartment near the back that was a little more secluded than the rest of the compartments. He stored his trunk and set his owl in the compartment. He decided to name her Hedwig after Saint Hedwig who was a patron saint of the Catholic Church. He had read about her in a library book once. She was known for her devotion and kindness and she was always there to help or support anyone that came to her. His owl reminded him of her and it was a fitting name; he had a feeling that she would be helping him in the future. Right now she was all that he had.

Although he did want to make friends, he was very apprehensive about being around people he didn't know. The last kids that he had been in contact with had ridiculed and degraded him. Would these children be any different? Would they be able to see past his disability?

Harry had long ago given up hope of any form of friendship. He had too many negative experiences in his young life that were often a result of actions by his peers. He had never met someone his own age that treated him normally.

That's what it boiled down to: normalcy. Harry Potter would never be a typical eleven year old boy no matter how hard he tried. In the muggle world he was a freak, an outcast in the eyes of his relatives and the kids at the school. But, as he was beginning to learn, he was thought to be a hero in the wizarding world, their savior. He was the boy-who-lived, the conqueror of Voldemort.

After Dumbledore told him the truth of what really happened to his parents, he got many books about the history of Voldemort and how he played into his downfall. He had little trust in the Headmaster. How could he have faith in someone who had placed him into such a home as the Dursleys? He had to have known how they would treat their nephew.

Harry decided it would not help to dwell on these thoughts. He had time to kill, so he brought out his potions book. He spent the next hour and a half reading, while the first of the Hogwarts students started to trickle in.

He was not interrupted until a red headed boy tapped him on the shoulder.

"Sorry about that but I couldn't get your attention, I tried but I guess you were absorbed in your book. Do you mind if I sit here? Everywhere else is full."

Harry shook his head and the boy sat across from him.

Harry began reading again before the boy could try and start a conversation with him. He still felt very awkward trying to communicate with someone his own age who didn't know sign language, so he continued to read. Half past twelve a very cheerful lady pushing a cart full of sweets stopped by their compartment. Since Snape hade apparently forgotten to feed Harry breakfast, he bought several sweets to satisfy his appetite.

The rest the ride went by fairly quickly and the only other student that came across Harry's path was a bushy haired girl looking for a toad.

Harry shook his head but his bangs moved slightly exposing his scar.

The girl exclaimed, "Your Harry Potter! I've read all about you. You're in _Modern Magical History, The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts, and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century_."

The girl seemed snobbish and she was looking at him like he was some sort of lab rat. The boy who was sitting across from him was staring transfixed at the scar on his forehead. It made Harry extremely uncomfortable. He did not like getting attention; it usually never resulted in anything pleasant for him.

He slowly shook his head and then went back to reading his book. They slowly got the hint and the girl left while the red headed boy looked out the window. He was unsure of how to act around these children, he wanted to communicate with them but how would

they act when they found out that he was deaf? He decided that he would observe and then take action later.

They were once again interrupted when a pale blond boy walked into their compartment flanked by two heavy set boys, who reminded Harry of Dudley.

The blond boy said briskly, "There has been talk on this train that Harry Potter is in this compartment. I just had to come see if it was true."

He looked pointedly at Harry, noticing his scar. "So the rumors are true."

He pointed to the boys on either side of him.

"This is Crabbe and this is Goyle. My name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."

As he said this the boy across from Harry started laughing. Draco sent him a scathing look.

"You think my names funny, don't you? Lets see red hair, freckles, you must be a Weasley. My father told me all about your family. You'll soon find out that some wizarding families are better than others, Potter. You wouldn't want to make friends with trash such as this. I can help you there."

He stuck out his hand to Harry. Harry just looked at him. He didn't like the feeling he was getting from this boy and he was loathed to trust anyone at this moment.

"No much of a talker are you Potter? That's ok. I'm sure you'll come to your senses soon enough. See you at the sorting."

Draco and his cronies walked out, leaving Harry with the red headed Weasely.

When the boy across from him started changing into his Hogwarts robes, Harry took the hint and changed into his robes as well. The boy would occasionally glace over at Harry when he thought he wasn't looking. It was becoming very irritating.

Harry noticed the train had started to slow down; they must be arriving at Hogwarts.

When the train stopped, Harry saw that everyone was leaving their luggage on the train so he did the same. He followed the crowd out of the train.

He was becoming extremely uncomfortable. This was the most people that he had ever seen in his life and he hated crowds.

The other kids were bumping and pushing into him. It was very disorientating. He was beginning to panic.

Then he spotted Hagrid among the crowd of students. He slowly made his way over to him. Hagrid spotted him and said "Harry! Glad ye found me! Come this way! All Firs' years over here!"

Harry couldn't understand what he was saying because the Platform was dark, making it impossible to lip-read. He did see the boy that shared the compartment with him and he followed him.

Hagrid led them down a steep narrow path that came to a great lake. The castle was in view and many of the students were in awe of the magnificent sight.

They all climbed in the boats that would take them to the castle. Harry got in one along with the boy from his compartment, the bushy haired girl and finally a very nervous looking boy.

The boats started gliding across that lake. Harry realized that the boats were moving by magic. Luckily, no one on his boat tried to talk to him, they were preoccupied with the view of the castle.

After going through a tunnel in a cliff below the castle, the boats landed.

The first years all got out and followed Hagrid up a flight of stairs. He knocked on the door of the castle.

The door was opened by a stern looking witch. Harry recognized Professor McGonagall; he had met her at dinner with the other professors. They walked into an entrance hall and then up another set of stairs. Harry had already seen all of this, so it was not a shocking to him as it was to others.

They were herded together by a doorway. Harry was getting more uncomfortable by the minute. The light was dim so he could not make out what Professor McGonagall was saying; he just stood there trying to get away from the crowd.

He knew that they were about to go to the sorting ceremony. Dumbledore won't tell him how they were sorted but he did tell Harry all about the four houses. He figured that's what the professor was informing them about right now.

The red haired boy kept trying to stay by Harry's side. Draco also kept looking at Harry as if he was studying him. Harry managed to find a small alcove where he could get away from everyone. But soon he was forced to rejoin the crowd as they started to move.

At last, they were led into the Great Hall.

The Hall looked as splendid as the first time Harry saw it, although now there were many students sitting in the tables the Harry had previously seen empty. Golden plates and goblets adorned the tables. The ceiling was bewitched to show the night sky and many of the first years were mesmerized by it.

The first years clumped together nervously as Professor McGonagall brought fourth a stool and an old tattered wizard's hat.

The students seemed transfixed; all their attention was focused on the hat. The hat began speaking or something along that line but Harry could not make out a word it was saying. He patently waited until it was over.

Professor McGonagall called up the students by their names in alphabetical order. Harry paid very close attention to what she was saying; he did not want to miss when she called his name. Therefore, he wasn't paying much attention to what was going on elsewhere.

When his name was finally called, he walked up to the hat with a feeling of trepidation. Whispers broke out among the students and although Harry could not hear them, he could feel their stares.

He sat on the stool as McGonagall put the hat atop his head. Harry nearly jumped in surprise, for the first time that he could remember he was actually hearing something. The sorting hat was talking to him!

"Ah, young Potter. You have had a very troubled life and I'm afraid it won't get any easier. You are not very trusting, and you are extremely wary of adults. You are intelligent but not rash. You have the talent and the cunning to be quite the powerful wizard. You have always wanted succeed even with the obstacles in your way. It better be….SLYTHERIN!"

Even though Harry was deaf, he could tell the hall was silent. The students sported shocked faces and McGonagall looked like she was about to have a heart attack.

Harry looked to Dumbledore. The hat had said the last part aloud so he had no clue as to which table to go to.

He quickly signed at Dumbledore. _"Which table did it say to go?"_

Dumbledore quickly signed back Slytherin, he himself was a little shocked by the revelation. There had never been a Potter who hadn't been sorted into Gryffindor.

Harry quickly went over to the Slytherin table and sat at the end. He knew he had the book smarts to be in Ravenclaw but the students there would most likely want to dissect him. After all, most of the students had never met a deaf person before. Ravenclaws could never pass an opportunity to learn. Harry didn't think he could handle their inquiries; he was a very private person.

Then whispers started braking out once again. All over the Great Hall, the students were wondering why the Harry Potter was gesturing with his hands. Only the Muggleborns knew that he was using sign language.

He looked up at the High Table. Snape was looking at him with a puzzled expression on his face. The Professor with the turban was staring at him intently; it was unnerving him. He looked back at the Slytherin table.

The sorting began again.

No one made any move to try and talk with him. Although the Hall was crowed with students, Harry felt more alone than he had ever been. Every so often he would feel the penetrating stares of his peers piercing through him, it was beginning to grate on his nerves.

Harry didn't really pay attention to the rest of the sorting but a small black haired girl came to sit by him after she was sorted.

After Blaise Zabini was sorted into Slytherin, Dumbledore stood up. This caught Harry's attention.

"Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! I hope you are all ready for another year of learning. Before we begin our wonderful feast, I would like to say a few words. Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you and enjoy the meal!"

Dumbledore sat back down. He was also signing so Harry could follow along, this puzzled many of the students. Especially since most of the students had know clue what sign language was.

At that moment food appeared on the table. It was more food than Harry had seen in his entire life. He sat there stunned for a moment. He put all sorts of food on his plate and dug in. When the desert appeared, the girl sitting by him tapped him on the arm.

To his astonishment she started signing and talking to him.

"I noticed that you were using sign language. If you don't mind me asking, are you deaf?"

Harry sat there shocked for a moment. There was another person here that could understand him! He nearly felt like crying with joy. He had never been able to communicate with anyone else his age, maybe this was his chance to finally make a friend!

"_Yes I am. I have been deaf for as long as I can remember and I can only communicate through sign, so please excuse me for not saying anything. I know that you know who I am, but what's your name?"_

She gave him a heart warming smile.

"My name is Adrea Rhiannon; it's a pleasure to meet you."

"_It's nice to meet you too. May I ask how you know sign language?"_

"My little brother was born deaf. He's now eight years old but my whole family learned sign language. It's second nature to me now."

They were interrupted from further conversation when Dumbledore stood up again.

"Ah, what a wonderful feast. Many of you are probably wondering why I am using sign language. It is for the benefit of one of our students who is deaf, Mr. Harry Potter."

As he said this, startled whispers broke out across the hall. How could their precious savior be deaf? Many of the Purebloods were shocked to the core, they had never even heard of a deaf person before.

"Please treat him as you would any other student. He is very well versed in lip-reading, so you do not need to worry if he can understand you. I also have several start of term notices to give you."

"First years please note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. A few of our older students would do to remember that as well."

He looked pointedly at the Weasely twins.

"Mr. Filch has also asked me to remind all of you not to use magic between classes in the corridors."

"Quidditch trials will also be held on the second week of term, if you are interested, please go and see Madam Hooch."

"Finally, this year the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is strictly forbidden to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."

Some of the Gryffindors laughed but all of the Slytherins remained silent. They took death threats very seriously.

"Now before we leave, we must sing the school song!"

As he said this, Snape's scowl became more prominent.

Dumbledore flicked his wand and a ribbon came out from the end, spelling the words from the song.

"Pick a tune and let's go!"

Everyone began singing while Harry and Adrea signed. The earned some rather pointed looks from the other students at the table. (If you really want to know the song, look in the first book!)

It ended with the Weasely twins singing a very slow funeral march.

When they were done, Dumbledore clapped loudly.

"Ah, music, a magic beyond all we do here. Now off to bed with all of you!"

The Slytherins began to follow their prefect to their common room. Harry couldn't help a small smile from showing on his face. Maybe there was hope for him after all.

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A/N: Ok, please don't hurt me. I know that many of you wanted Harry to be in Ravenclaw, and although I did consider it for a while, it just doesn't work for this story. I see him as more of a Slytherin. He is very smart but I believe that he has the cunning and the ambition to be in Slytherin. This does not mean that he is going to be evil though. It is important for him to be in that house for the plot. As for Harry not likeing having things in common in Voldy, he doesn't _like_ it but the matter of things is that he has many similarities to Tom. Don't worry, Harry is not going to fall head over heals for Adrea, that's not why she is there. It was important for Harry to have a better way to communicate with the teachers and students, and let's face it; Dumbledore is not going to follow him around all day. Also there are not going to be any pairing right now. Harry will have a way to do magic but you'll find out soon enough. And no it's not wandless. My take on that is that in order to do wandless magic you have to be a very accomplished and powerful wizard. So since Harry has no clue how to perform magic, he can't do wandless yet. It would also make this problem way to easy to fix, I can't have that! Thanks for all of your wonderful reviews, I'm feeling lazy at the moment, so if you didn't directly ask a question that hasn't been answered is this amazingly long response, please don't be mad that I didn't write a reply. Anyways, please tell me what you think, and I hope this chapter wasn't too bad. I hope this answers all your questions. I have no clue when the next chapter will be out but I will try and be quicker but school just started again so who knows. Please leave a review! 

**Nikikeya-chan again**: Thank you for your reviews! As for some of your questions, no I'm not a Ron hater but he can be very obtuse at times. He and Harry might eventually be friends but not right now. In chapter 4 Snape had unshrunk his notepad but not the rest of his stuff. Harry need it to write his responses but dragging a trunk around would be difficult. I hope I can change your opinion of Slytherin's and Harry is still a Parseltounge. I have no plans for him to be in Quidditch. I hope that you will still continue to enjoy this story and don't worry, there is a method to my madness!


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer**: JK is an amazing lady and I would never try and stake claim to her wonderful world, I only live in it from time to time.

**A/N**: I still can't believe there are so many of you reading and enjoying this story, your support and encouragement has meant the world to me. I'm so sorry that this has taken so long, but I had an awful case of writer's block. I can only thank you for your patience. Just to answer a few questions, I do not plan of pairing Harry with anyone in this story, at least not until he is much, much older. Also I know that Harry could never 'hear' the sorting hat but please keep in mind that the sorting hat is magical and therefore it could communicate to Harry in a way he could understand. As noted in my other story, I am no longer responding to reviews in the story itself. If you do ask a question, please leave your email and I will be happy to email you back an answer. Rumors are the FFN doesn't like review responses, and that makes me worried about putting them in the chapter. I was also thinking about making a yahoo group for my stories, would anyone be interested in it? This chapter is unbetaed so please excuse my grammar; I wanted to get it up as soon as possible. Thanks for sticking around and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**Note**: Whenever Adrea is talking to Harry she will be speaking and signing at the same time unless otherwise noted. Thanks!

"_Harry signing"_

'_Harry writing'_

**Silent Words**

**Chapter 7**

**By NiamhakaLadyHex**

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The Slytherin prefect led the first years into the bowels of the dreaded Hogwart's Dungeons.

After passing through a maze of twists and turns they finally stopped at a dead end.

The prefect looked at them haughtily and spoke the password, "Purus cruor," (1) and the stone melded seamlessly into an archway.

Harry followed the group of first years in and he got his first look at the Slytherin common room.

The room was large, almost like a cavern. The back wall opened to a series of floor length windows that showed different views of the Hogwarts grounds. There were two stairways at the corners in the back of the room. It was damp and cold but the dark forest green leather chairs that were so dark they looked black and matching leather couches looked comfortable enough. To the left an ornate fireplace with snakes winding up either side of it was burning brightly, trying to add the much needed heat to the drafty room. Black and silver rugs covered the floor. There was also some antique looking furniture located around the room. Most of the room was unadorned but there was the occasional tapestry hanging on the wall.

Adrea stuck close by him and she signed what the prefect was saying. The dim lighting made it extremely difficult to read lips, this way Harry wouldn't have to worry about missing or misinterpreting anything older student said. Harry had never had anyone do that for him and he felt oddly touched by it.

Before any of them could do or say anything else Professor Snape silently entered the common room.

He gazed coldly at them before speaking.

"I am Professor Severus Snape. I am the head of Slytherin House and I am also the Hogwart's Potions Master. Being a Slytherin requires a certain level of control and responsibility. I expect all of you to represent this house with the pride it deserves. If you have any problems come see me. Girls dorms are up the stairs to the left and likewise on the right for the boys. Your name will appear on a plaque outside of your respective room. Well, what are you all standing there for? Get to bed!"

There was a hurried commotion of movement as everyone tried to get to their dorms as quickly as possible. Harry lost Adrea in the fray and after he disentangled himself from his peers he set out to find his rooms.

He soon came upon a plaque with his name on it. Unfortunately on it was the one name that he hoped he wouldn't be seeing anytime soon. It seemed his roommates were no other than Draco Malfoy, and Blaise Zabini.

He slowly walked into the room.

Draco and Blaise were busy putting their stuff away so they took no notice of him as he entered. He took a moment to look around the room. It was bigger than he thought it would be. There were three large canopy beds with black sheets and blankets trimmed with silver, a fireplace, and a black and green rug on the floor.

The other boys had already taken the two beds by the wall, leaving Harry with the remaining bed which was closest to the bathroom on the left side of the room.

His trunk was placed at the foot of the bed along with Hedwig's cage. Harry pulled out some pajamas and went to the bathroom to change into them. The years of abuse had not only left their mark on his mind but on his body as well. He didn't feel comfortable changing in front of the other boys.

He quickly emerged and went into the bed and drew the canopy closed. He would rather not have to deal with either Draco or Blaise tonight. He soon fell into a deep sleep.

-----

Harry woke up to someone frantically shaking his shoulder. He opened his eyes only to see a blurry outline of a figure above him. He reached for his glasses and an anxious looking Adrea came into focus.

She immediately began signing and speaking to him.

"Harry! I started to get worried when you never came down to breakfast and I finally came back up here to see what you were doing. You must hurry; we only have ten minutes until the first class starts."

Harry quickly rushed into the bathroom and he changed into his school uniform.

When he came out, Adrea looked at him.

"Our first class is History of Magic. We only have ten minutes to get there; we need to hurry if we're going to make it there on time. Follow me, I know the way."

They rushed out of the Slytherin dungeons, running as fast as they could. Luckily they met no teachers along the way or they would have docked off points for their behavior.

They made it just as Professor Bins glided through the wall. He didn't even spare them as glance and he started his lecture.

Harry could feel the stares and whispers as the students caught sight of him. The Slytherins in particular were looking at him with menacing glares. Harry paid them no attention and he quickly took a seat in front of the room next to Adrea. Draco glanced at them and sneered.

Harry was too busy trying to get his notes and find his dictating quill to notice. He finally found them at the bottom of his bag, and he placed the quill on the parchment where it dutifully started to write down what the professor was saying. The Headmaster had charmed them only to record the professor's voices, that way he didn't have to go through his notes and sift out all of the other things that were recorded. Then he focused all his attention on Bins. The quill would write down everything the professor said but Harry was not going to fall behind in his classes by not paying attention.

A half and hour later the students were dropping like flies. Even Harry who was not affected by the monotone droning of Professor Bin's voice was beginning to succumb to boredom from the aimless ramblings of the professor's lecture. Honestly, was he trying to put everyone asleep by naming each and every goblin who ever fought in the Goblin Rebellions?

Somehow Harry was able to get through the rest of the class. Finally it was over and the students rushed out of the classroom.

Harry turned to Adrea in the corridor.

"_What class do we have next?"_

"We have Herbology with Professor Sprout. I hope she is better than Bins. I had to resort to singing songs in my head in order to keep awake! We should get going there now because the greenhouses are behind the castle."

Some of the students stared at their conversation in sign which began to get on Harry's nerves. Just because he was using sign language, it didn't give them an open invitation to stare at his conversation.

Adrea started to walk off to the greenhouses and Harry quickly followed after her.

-----

Harry's day had started off on a bad start and it only seemed to get worse from there. Herbology proved to be much more difficult than History of Magic because instead of taking notes while the professor lectured they did practical work with different types of plants while Professor Sprout would tell them different information about them.

Today they were responsible for pruning the Flutterby Bushes. It was extremely difficult for him to work with their assigned plants while trying to pay attention to what the professor was saying at the same time. Adrea couldn't translate for his since she had her hands full with her own plant. Harry ended up taking his parchment and dictating quill out to catch what he missed.

He didn't think they day could get any worse but then he went to Charms. It was a double period class with the Ravelclaws.

Professor Flitwick spent the first hour of classes giving a lector on magical theory of the color changing charm that they would be trying to cast on flowers later during the class period but when it came time for Harry to cast his charm he encountered a problem. Obviously he was not able to say the incantation but nothing he did changed the color of his flower. He tried thinking the incantation and he even attempted to sign it but nothing worked.

Professor Flitwick eventually came up to him after class. He looked at him with pity in his eyes.

"I'm sorry Mr. Potter. Hopefully the Headmaster will come up with something soon but for now just do the best you can."

Harry nodded at the professor and he sat at his desk for a moment. The he hurriedly left the classroom.

Adrea was following him and clearly trying to get his attention. Harry knew she wanted to talk about what happened but he didn't want to talk with her about it, she wouldn't understand.

He made his way to the dungeons as fast as he could. Harry arrived at the stone wall that served at the barrier for the Slytherin common room.

He gazed at it for what seemed like an eternity. There was no way he would be able to enter the common room without giving the password. Why hadn't he realized this before? He would always need someone with him to say the password for him. A flurry of emotion swelled inside him.

At that moment Adrea tapped him on the shoulder.

"Harry, I know you're upset right now but please just talk with me about it. I just want to help you."

Harry looked at her and she could see the turmoil of emotions in his eyes.

"_Adrea, I know you mean well but I just need some time to myself right now. Could you please say the password? I'd like to go and lie down before dinner. I'll meet you in the Great Hall afterwards ok?"_

She said the password and Harry proceeded to his room. Luck was one his side because neither Draco nor Blasie happened to be in the room.

Harry slowly sat down on the bed, although he barely noticed because he was immersed by his thoughts and long forgotten memories.

When he was growing up he encountered many trials and tribulations but he had always tried to do his best despite his disabilities. Now it seemed that no matter what he did would help. He was completely unable to do any spell, what kind of wizard was he?

Harry knew he could perform accidental magic; he had done it more than once during his childhood. But he needed to actually speak an incantation out loud to perform the spells they were learning in class, how in the world was he ever going to be able to do that?

He had often dreamed of learning how to speak but he knew it would be extremely hard for him to learn. The wizarding world knew nothing about his problems, how could they ever come up with a solution to help him?

The questions swirled around endlessly in his head. He could not figure out any answers to them. Maybe this was a sign that he didn't belong here. Hogwarts was hardly equipped to deal with a deaf and mute child and the teachers didn't have the first clue how to teach him their material.

A silent sigh passed through his lips.

This had been his chance to finally escape from his bleak life at the Dursleys. He had hoped at Hogwarts that he would finally be accepted and for once fit in. But even here he was different. He went from being a freak and an outcast to the savior of a hidden world, the miraculous Boy-Who-Lived. It was not quite something that was easy to get used to.

Adrea was wonderful and it seemed he had finally found a friend his age. He knew she wanted to help him with his problems but he had a hard time opening up to people. He knew Adrea wanted to help him, but he just wasn't used to talking to anyone about his problems.

He used to tell Ms. Savario about some of what was going on in his life but even with her he never told her everything. He was never able to bear telling Ms. Salviaro about the bullies, the cruel names he was called, or the hell that was his life at number four Privet Drive. He knew it would have broken her heart if she knew the truth.

He looked at his watch and realized that it was time for dinner. He reluctantly walked to the Great Hall, he really didn't want to go but he knew Adrea would worry if he missed dinner.

Harry spotted Adrea sitting by herself at the end of the Slytherin table in the Great Hall for dinner. The rest of the Slytherin's eyed him warily as he sat down.

Harry put some roast beef and mash potatoes on his plate but he made no move to eat them.

Adrea glanced at him. This time she signed so that the other students wouldn't hear what she was going to say.

"You should really eat something; you've hardly had anything all day long. I know today was rough but you just have to put it behind you and get on with tomorrow. I don't know what you have been through Harry, but I promise that I will be there for you no matter what. Don't be discouraged just because of one setback."

Harry gazed at her for a minute and then he started eating his dinner. Adrea shot him a quick smile before going back to her own dinner.

After dinner they both walked back to the Slytherin common room. After Adrea once again said the password they both gave their goodnights and headed to their respective rooms.

Unfortunately for Harry when he opened the door to his dormitory Draco Malfoy was sitting on his bed with a malicious glint in his eyes.

Draco looked at Harry for a moment before he started speaking.

"What's a matter Potter; have trouble waking up this morning? Or maybe you just didn't hear the alarm clock, oh wait a minute I forgot you couldn't hear an alarm clock if it hit you in the head! What you were thinking coming to Hogwarts Potter? After all, you are no better than a squib. I don't know how a deaf mute retard like you managed to get sorted in Slytherin but let me tell you it was a mistake that you will regret. You have two choices, you will either cooperate with me or you are against me. And believe me Potter; no one goes against a Malfoy."

Harry stared at Draco for a moment.

"You know what's good about being deaf Draco? It makes it so much easier to ignore the idiots." (2)

Draco stood up and moved closer to where Harry was standing.

"What did you say Potter? We all don't know what that gibberish is that you do with your hands. Speak English!"

Harry calmly walked passed him although inside he was fuming. After he sat on his bed drew the curtains closed.

How often had he been told words similar to those which Draco had spoken when he was younger? The Dursleys had never failed to verbally accost him and the children at school were no better.

He took a few calming breathes and then he opened the curtains again. It seemed Draco had left the room. Harry took advantage of this and quickly changed into his pajamas. He found his potions text in his trunk and he brought it out to read before he went to bed. Hopefully tomorrow would be better.

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A/N: Wohoo! Chapter seven is finally here! If any of you are wondering about the abrupt change in Draco's attitude, once he found out that Harry was both deaf and mute his opinion of Harry greatly changed. In his mind Harry is lower than any squib or muggleborn so he treats him accordingly. I hope you all liked the chapter and feedback is very welcome! Thanks for reading!

When trying to figure out how the Hogwarts class schedule worked, I finally resorted on making my own. If you would like you see it, I would be more than happy to send it to you.

(1) Latin for Pure Blood

(2)- this line is very similar from what was said in 'The Replacements' by a deaf football player, I though it fit well into the story and I wanted to give acknowledgement to the movie.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Not mine.

A/N: I'm so sorry about my incredibly long absence. This past year has been crazy with classes and along with everything else going on in my life I did not have much time to write. I'd like to give my most sincere apology for the long wait and I am going to try to make more regular updates if my muse will allow it for this new year. Thank you all for taking the time to read this story and I hope you will continue to enjoy it. Cookies for all my lovely reviewers!

"_Harry signing"_

'_Harry writing'_

**Silent Words**

**Chapter 8**

**By NiamhakaLadyHex**

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Friday evening found Harry slowly meandering down one of the darkened corridors in the dungeons of Hogwarts. He didn't have a specific destination in mind; he was consumed by his thoughts. Dinner was going on in the Great Hall but he did not feel like eating. Harry knew that Adrea would be worrying where he was but he simply couldn't bring himself to be around the other students right now. Harry's first week at Hogwarts had finally come to an end.

He had hoped that after his first day things would begin to improve but it only went downhill from there. On Tuesday he got his first taste of Defense Against the Dark Arts (DADA), Transfiguration, and Potions.

Contrary to what Harry had been reading in his books, DADA turned out to be a joke. The professor, who he now knew to be called Quirrel, stuttered constantly making it near impossible for Harry to make out what he was saying. Although Adrea had offered to act as a translator for Harry, the stuttering and the poor lighting in the room made Harry give up on trying to decipher what the man was attempting to say. Even his dictating quill had problems writing down what the professor was saying at times.

On top of that, Harry always felt uneasy around Professor Quirrel, and he often felt like that man was staring him at the oddest times during class. It didn't help that during the class his scar would twinge with pain like the wound was still fresh. After several of these occasions Harry decided to keep up his guard while around Professor Quirrel.

His day did not get any better when he went to Transfiguration. After lecturing about the basics of transfiguration Professor McGonagall gave them their first assignment, to turn a match into a needle. Professor McGonagall tried her best to encourage Harry but just like in Charms class no matter what he did to try and perform magic, nothing happened. He had once again failed to be able to perform a simple incantation. Harry was quickly becoming very annoyed and discouraged by not being able to do any magic with his wand.

The only good part of the week was when he had Potions class even though Professor Snape often unnerved Harry. When Professor Snape was dealing with the Gryffindors he often reminded Harry of his uncle when he was seething with anger after Harry had incorrectly interpreted what the temperamental man had shouted at him. But, it was the only class that he was able to finally be successful in.

Potions fascinated him because he could perform magic without having to say anything. That fact made him want to apply himself even more diligently to prove that he did belong at Hogwarts. The professor had started them off with a rudimentary calming potion and Harry made sure to follow the directions precisely and carefully. In the end, his efforts paid off and he had made an almost perfect potion along with Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy.

Even though he was successful in potions it did not hide the fact the Harry could not perform even the simplest magic spell with his wand. The week had gone by and so far Dumbledore had not found any solution for Harry to be able to cast spells without speaking. Harry knew the teachers were becoming frustrated with a student who couldn't even cast one spell with his own wand.

How would he be able to continue going to Hogwarts if he couldn't cast any spells? Would they get tired of him and kick him out? Harry simply would not be able to go back to the Dursleys after he had experienced the wonders of magic. Even if he was not able to cast any magic, it was still a part of him. He knew that he could not live as a muggle after he found out the truth about his parents and the world he was meant to be a part of.

Harry was so consumed by his thoughts that he didn't realize someone was in the hallway with him until he literately walked into the person. After regaining his balance Harry looked up into the cold gray eyes of Draco Malfoy. Flanking both of his sides were his cronies Goyle and Crabbe who were cracking their knuckles in a threatening manner.

Draco sneered at Harry and said, "We missed you at dinner tonight Potter. I've been observing you all this week. Before I met you there were all these spectacular rumors of the great Harry Potter who defeated You-know-who before his second birthday. There was such talk of what a great wizard you would become. Well if they could see you now! You can't even cast a spell, not one! I don't even know why they bothered giving you a wand since you can't even use it!"

He paused for a moment. "I bet right now they are wishing they could just send you home but Dumbledore always does have a soft spot for hopeless cases. Don't be fooled, they just keeping you here out of charity Potter. Maybe one day they will even let you join that oaf Hagrid in his hut to manage the grounds! But mark my words Potter, you'll never amount to anything. You may have defeated the Dark Lord when you were a baby but now you are just a worthless cripple. "

His words struck Harry to the core and he could feel tears start to prickle in his eyes. All of what he had been thinking about was just thrown into in his face in the cruelest manner.

Malfoy looked Harry up and down as if measuring his worth. With a menacing glint in his eyes he said, "Boys, lets teach him a lesson he won't forget."

He then added with a smirk, "After all, it's not as if anyone will be able to hear him."

Crabbe and Golye began slowly advancing towards Harry. Harry knew he was in trouble and he tried to dart past them but Crabbe caught one of his arms and then he jerked both of his arms painfully in a bruising grip behind his back. It left him easy prey for Goyle. Despite the fact that Harry was defenseless and outnumbered he raised his head and looked at Goyle straight in the eyes.

Goyle waste no time and he punched Harry hard in the jaw caused Harry head to whip to the side from the force of it. Then working himself into a fury, he punched Harry mercilessly in the stomach several times.

After this continued for several painfully long minutes Malfoy motioned with his hand for Goyle to stop. Suddenly bringing out his wand swiftly he yelled, "Diffindo!"

Harry hissed in pain as the spell created a deep gash in his right shoulder that began to bleed profusely. Draco walked up to Harry so that he was almost nose to nose with him. Draco started at Harry for a moment and then whispered as he put pressure on Harry's wound with his hand that punctuated his words, "Know that _this_ is something that you will never be able to do."

Harry was barely able to make out of the words through the haze of pain. Draco quickly let go of Harry and wiped his hand on his pants as if he had touched something contagious. He looked at Crabbe.

"Leave him. I'm sure this will give him enough to think over for now. Lets go, it's getting late."

Crabbe let go of Harry, and the three boys left Harry alone in the hallway.

After being released by Crabbe, Harry fell hard on his knees. He tried to put pressure on his wound but it did not help stop the bleeding. Through his pain clouded mind Harry knew he needed help and he needed it quickly.

He looked around the dungeon hallway to try and get his bearings. It was then he spotted a tapestry that looked slightly familiar to him. Then it hit him. He had seen that tapestry on his way to Professor Snape's rooms when he had stayed there before the school year had started. Harry thought if he could make it back to the Professors rooms, he would be able to get help.

After quite a few wrong turns and several guesses, Harry finally managed to find his way to Professor Snape's quarters. When he arrived, he realized that he couldn't say the password to the portrait. Salazar happened to be absent from his portrait at that moment and only his snake was currently there. He stood there for what seemed like an eternity looking the snake not knowing what he should do.

Would knocking on the portrait let Snape know he was outside? What if Snape wasn't even in his rooms? Then no one would be there to help him and he was too far away to seek anyone else. The searing pain in his shoulder along with the pain in other parts of his body was beginning to take its toll on Harry.

Blackness was creeping along the edges of his vision and his strength was fading. His only chance was somehow to get the snake to understand that he needed to get into those rooms. Putting all of his willpower while looking at the snake he tried to say 'open'. A raspy hiss came out of his mouth before he passed out with a loud thud just when Salazar walked back into the portrait.

-----

Severus Snape was spending a quiet Friday evening in his lab working on an experimental potion. He was suddenly interrupted by Salazar Slytherin running into the portrait of a simmering cauldron that he had put up in the lab so he could be contacted in case of an emergency.

Snape quickly looked up at Salazar's frantic and unexpected entrance.

"Severus, come to the entrance of your quarters immediately. A student has been left there in the hallway injured."

At this Snape swiftly sprinted out of his lab and down the hall that led to his chambers. He opened the portrait to find a small figure of a boy crumpled on the floor. When he carefully turned the boy on his back he noticed that there was blood soaking the front of his robes. He glanced up at the boy's head to see if it was from a head injury. Snape's heart skipped a beat when he looked into the battered face of Harry Potter.

As carefully as he could manage so not to further aggravate the boys injuries, Snape carried Potter into his rooms and laid him gently on the couch. He quickly cast a diagnosis spell on the young boy and then he summoned the necessary healing potions and salves from his lab. Setting them on the small table nearby the couch, Snape turned his attention back to Harry.

He gave Potter a blood replenishing potion and then with a wave of his wand he banished the boy's robe and cloak. He then took stock of the boy's injuries.

He immediately spotted the gash on the shoulder that was the cause of all the blood. Potter was also sporting a bruised jaw, a split lip, and some nasty bruising along his chest and abdominal area.

Snape used a scorgify to clean off the blood so he could examine the wound more clearly. It was deep, nearly down to the shoulder bone. But the wound was clean so it wasn't hard to heal with the right charms and potions although there was nothing he could do to stop it from scaring.

When he was putting the bruise paste on Potter's chest he noticed other scars. The boy had scaring all over his chest. When he turned the boy over it was apparent he had lots of scaring on his back. Some of the scars were faint but others still looked pink and new. Snape had his share of scars from the war and from being in the service of a madman but seeing such scars one someone so young unsettled him. The boy had too many scars to just have been cause by an accident or from clumsiness.

He thought back onto that day he retrieved Potter from his relative's house and the boy's behavior since then. With sudden clarity everything fit into place, Snape finally realized the true nature of Potters home life. He would have to wait to satisfy his curiosity when the boy was awake.

He summoned some pajamas from his own bedroom and shrunk them down so they would fit the boy. He cast a charm to alert him if anything changed with the boy's health and Potter was ready for bed. He would get answers from Potter tomorrow but for now he was going to have a quick word with Salazar about how the boy came to be there.

After walking outside his apartment and Snape informed Salazar to meet him in the lab so that they would not be overheard by anyone.

As he walked past his couch he glanced at Potter to make sure he was still asleep.

Closing the door to his lab, he looked at Salazar.

"How did Potter end up in front of my quarters?"

Salazar looked down and then said, "I regretfully was not in the portrait when he arrived…"

Snape rudely interrupted.

"What! You weren't there!"

Then his voice turned icy, "Where pray tell were you then?"

A blush grazed Salazar's cheeks and he said, "Well, I do get lonely over here in the dungeons with no other portraits to talk to and only Clavis for company. I went over to some of the over portraits by the Great Hall. But I did arrive right when the boy passed out and Clavis told me something very important. He said that the boy tried to say something to him before he passed out. Clavis said it sounded a little like the boy was trying to speak in Parseltounge."

Snape looked startled.

"Parseltounge? A Potter has never been a Parselmouth! …But it is possible that the Dark Lord could have passed the talent to Potter along with some of his other powers the night he tried to kill the boy. This opens an entirely new door and it could potentially solve Potters problem with casting spells. We will have to test the boy in the morning. Thank you for informing me Salazar."

Salazar nodded stiffly and then walked out of the frame of the portrait.

Snape walked pensively through the hall. After one lingering glance to make sure Potter was still ok, he retired to his bedroom. He tried to sleep but the events and revelations of the day kept him up for many hours.

* * *

A/N: Yay Chapter 8 is finally here and with it comes the solution to Harry casting spells! Some people did guess correctly and I hope it lived up to all of your expectations. In case there is any confusion in chapter 3 when Dumbledore is talking to Harry he only speaks out loud what he is saying and not what Harry is signing. So Snape does not know anything about Harry's abuse or home life until his discovery in this chapter. Thank you all for reading and I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. Feedback would be very welcome and along with any suggestions about what you would like to see with the story. Please review!!!


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